Keyshots
by Yami No Amburrrr
Summary: Looking to be a series of Keyshipping One-shots - a bunch of mini-stories that won't ever be full blown stories. Number of Keyshots: 3
1. Chapter 1

Hello and welcome to Keyshots - this is going to be a place where I can dump my random short inspirations that will probably never make full stories. My little break from Synchronization I guess. Hope you guys enjoy them :D

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KEYSHOT #1: Evolution Of Bonds

Sixteen year old Yuuma Tsukumo stood behind the cash register of a local multi-purpose store in Heartland City Mall, leaning lazily against the back counter. He was the only one positioned here, even though there were five other identical tills around him, as it was still too early for other associates to arrive. He wore a white collared shirt, a name badge hanging around his neck along with the strings of his standardized red apron, hanging over top of dark pants and black dress shoes. Yuuma didn't mind the uniform, though he wished that he could wear the Ou's Key as well.

His boss didn't approve of it, because it was apparently a health and safety violation. Yuuma hadn't quite understood what this meant, until one day when he got his name badge caught on a grocery cart. Unlike his Key, the cord attached to his name badge had a special clip that would snap open if it got snagged to prevent the wearer from getting hurt. Yuuma never wore the Key again after that incident, fearing the fate if it and himself he got latched onto something. He would leave it in his locker during the shift, keeping the door locked at all times to avoid a repeat of what had happened in swim class in the ninth grade, when Orbital 7 had stolen the Key from Yuuma's cubby.

The whole job aspect had been a bit of a frustration for Astral, who had not understood why Yuuma should give away even more of his free time after school when they could be hunting Numbers cards instead, but Yuuma had argued that with the money he earned from the job, he'd be able to buy more card packs and would then be able to build a better deck to support his Numbers cards, and to take down new Numbers. Together, the two had collected over 80 Numbers cards thus far. Ever since Yuuma won the World Duel Carnival three years ago, many people had sought him out for duels. He hadn't lost yet, and as a result Astral's memory was almost complete.

This thought was both exciting and depressing for Yuuma. He knew that the closer they got to finding the last Numbers card, the sooner it would be before Astral could return home. As much as Yuuma hated to admit it, Astral had grown on him. He liked spending time with Astral, and as he grew older, he found these feelings only intensifying. He felt tightness in his chest as he thought of Astral, his heart racing a bit more than normal, as if he was excited about something. Maybe that was why he'd been reluctant to put the Key away today – he'd opened his locker, taken off the Key and stared at it in his palm for the longest time before finally shoving it into his pocket, closing the locker door and heading downstairs to start his shift.

A glow in his pocket cut off his thoughts. Yuuma gasped, watching as golden sparkles solidified into a familiar blue skinned being several feet away to Yuuma's right, just outside his small square of counter space at Yuuma's till. Arms crossed, Astral looked around in interest.

"Yuuma...this is where you do this work correct?" He asked. Yuuma blinked in confusion, before he remembered that Astral had not seen his workstation before, since he was usually upstairs in the locker room during work hours. After a quick glance around to make sure no one heard him talking to his invisible friend, Yuuma smiled and nodded.

"That's right. This is a cashier's till. Customers pay for stuff here basically. They can go to any one of these tills – they're all the same except for the numbers - and they give us cashiers money for whatever they buy here!" Yuuma replied motioning to the other tills around him and watching as Astral glanced over the area with interest.

"You do not usually allow me to come here with you." Astral pointed out. Yuuma flushed slightly, suddenly embarrassed.

"I...yeah, well I just...I don't know, I didn't want to leave the Key in the locker today...it's right here." Yuuma patted his pants pocket, feeling the Key. Astral cocked his head in curiosity.

"Will you show me how this works?" Astral asked suddenly, looking at the till in interest. Yuuma perked up, relieved in the change in topic and excited to get a chance to show off for Astral.

"I definitely will, as soon as someone comes to pay for stuff." Yuuma promised, spotting a person arriving. He gave Astral a quick head nudge, motioning for him to pay attention, before turning his attention to the young lady approaching. She was completely unfamiliar to Yuuma, as most people who came by his till were, but Yuuma still greeted her kindly.

"Hello! How are you today?" Yuuma asked cheerfully, flashing the young lady a grin. The lady smiled.

"My, aren't you polite. I'm doing well, and how are you today?" She replied, placing her items on the counter for Yuuma to scan. Yuuma picked up a package of men's shirts, scanning the item with his scan gun and directing his attention to the monitor to make sure it rang in properly. Astral nearly jumped as a beep sounded and Yuuma had to hold back a snicker as he turned to the lady again.

"Did you need any bags for these?" He asked. The woman shook her head and Yuuma put the items he scanned on the opposite side of the counter from the bagging area. Astral stared at the monitor, watching with interest as the items continued to pop up on the screen.

"These names are very strange..." Astral noted. Yuuma gave a light shrug, scanning the last item, a dress shirt for women. The customer suddenly protested.

"Hold on – that shirt is supposed to be on sale!" She exclaimed. Yuuma perked up, turning his attention to the screen and noticing that there were no deductions off indicating that the item was on sale. He knew that occasionally the prices in the system were not correct – he'd have to verify the price of the item.

"Let me check it then – one moment!" Yuuma said, reaching into his apron pouch and pulling out the store's weekly flyer. He examined the item's brand and began flipping through the flyer to find it. He felt Astral reading over his shoulder. Yuuma felt his body tense, his heart racing. It was strange – even though he knew that he and Astral could not technically touch each other, he could always feel the spirit as if Astral were solid when they were this close. Astral was almost pressing against his back, chin inches from Yuuma's left shoulder.

"Yuuma, what are you doing?" Astral asked into Yuuma's ear. Yuuma suppressed a shiver – where did that come from? - and continued to scan the pages.

"I'm just looking up the sales for the week, making sure that the item is on sale and if it is, I can adjust the price accordingly." Yuuma answered him. The young lady grinned, thinking Yuuma was speaking to her.

"Thank you very much! I'm sorry for your trouble!" She replied. Yuuma smiled, identifying the item in the flyer.

"Looks like you're right – it says 25% off. I can adjust it for you ma'am!" Yuuma exclaimed, straightening and feeling Astral float back to give him some space. Yuuma suppressed a sigh at this. Astral floated behind Yuuma as the boy approached the register, seating himself on the counter where the lady had originally placed the items, crossing one leg over the other and watching Yuuma work. Yuuma cleared the shirt off the list, then went into the override keys, trying to change the price to accommodate the sale.

Yuuma groaned in frustration as the till refused to cooperate. It looked like he'd have to do the math in his head and use a different override. Yuuma closed his eyes, trying to focus.

"Damnit...what's 25% of $19.97...ugh...um...20% is like...a dollar? I don't know...it's got to be at least..." Yuuma muttered, trying to think – he'd never been good at math.

"25% of $19.97 is $4.99. Therefore, the price will be $19.97 - $4.99, which is $14.98." Astral explained. Yuuma blushed, putting on a sheepish grin.

"Oh, yeah...right. I knew that!" Yuuma exclaimed, punching in the numbers on the till.

"You still can't do basic math, and it seems as if this job requires it. I'm surprised you were able to do this on your own before." Astral said thoughtfully. Yuuma growled, whirling around to face Astral.

"Shut up! I don't need to do that all the time, I –" Yuuma stopped when he noticed the young lady's face. She was looking at him very strangely. Yuuma gulped, grinning awkwardly.

"Sorry...I...get a bit excited...so, is that everything you're getting?" Yuuma asked. The lady nodded, still looking at Yuuma oddly. Yuuma chuckled sheepishly, turning away to face the monitor as he totalled up her items.

"That'll be $74.13 please! Will it be cash, credit or debit?" Yuuma chirped. The lady pulled out her wallet from her handbag.

"Interac, please." She said, pulling out a plastic card.

"Wait...Yuuma, that was not one of the options you gave her." Astral said.

"It's just another word for 'debit', Astral..." Yuuma muttered under his breath as he punched in the lady's request, and handed her a pin pad. He wasn't sure why he wanted Astral here anymore – he was starting to be a bit of a nuisance. The customer put in her card and Yuuma looked away to give her privacy as she punched in her number. Astral on the other hand, stared in fascination at the lady as she pressed the buttons.

"Astral! Don't look!" Yuuma hissed a little too loudly. The lady looked up in surprise. Yuuma flushed again, embarrassed. He mentally noted to never bring the Key back to the till ever again – Astral was too much trouble in public settings like this.

"Sorry!" He exclaimed before shooting Astral a glare.

"That's her own private PIN number! You're not allowed to look at it, so don't do it okay?" Yuuma whispered a bit softer, noticing the woman slowly returning her attention to the pinpad. Astral looked confused.

"What does this 'PIN number' do that is so important?" He asked. Yuuma nearly facefaulted.

"If you know her number, then you'll have access to her money if you can get a hold of her card!" Astral blinked.

"Yuuma, I cannot take her card. This number is useless to me." Yuuma sighed.

"Whatever...look if you want I don't care..." He groaned out, turning his back on Astral to spot the lady staring right at him.

"Who do you keep talking to?" She asked, sounding a bit concerned. Yuuma blinked.

"No one! Nope! I'm just...lonely so I talk to myself it's a horrible habit I know I should break it it's too weird..." Yuuma babbled, mentally smacking himself. He sounded completely idiotic. He noticed that she had taken out her card, so he quickly turned back to the till to complete the transaction. Yuuma plucked the printed receipts and handed them off to the lady.

"Have a nice day!" He said, as she collected her purchases and headed to the exit, still with a confused look on her face. Astral, still seated on the counter top, watched the lady leave with a confused look.

"Yuuma, I thought you said that she had to give you money. I did not see her do that." Astral noted. Yuuma shook his head.

"She did though! That's what her debit card did! People don't just pay with cash! They can also pay with their plastic cards." Astral looked mystified by the response.

"Humans have cards that they can use as money?" Astral asked. Yuuma nodded – it was close enough.

"Yeah that's right – AH!" Yuuma screamed in shock as an arm depositing a jug of milk shot through Astral's midsection.

"Woah, kid! Are you alright? I thought you saw me – you're looking right in my direction." A man's voice was heard from behind Astral. Astral looked down in shock, spotting the arm and floating aside quickly to reveal an elderly man with grey hair. Yuuma hadn't been able to see him as he'd been too focused on Astral. Clutching his heart and panting, Yuuma nodded.

"Yeah...sorry I must've spaced out..." He managed to say softly, trying to get the strange image of a hand going through Astral's stomach out of his head. He scanned the item and put it in a bag without a word.

"I'll pay with my Mastercard." The man announced. Yuuma nodded, hitting the credit button and letting the man go to the pin pad. He turned to Astral.

"Are you...okay?" Yuuma whispered, a bit shaken still. Astral nodded.

"Of course I am. You look...white." Astral asked in concern. Yuuma shrugged it off and completing the transaction. He handed off the receipt to the man as he left quickly – the guy must've been in a hurry.

"Astral...if you're going to sit down, just stay on the counter behind me so that you're not in the way, alright?" Yuuma said once he'd left. Astral nodded, moving to sit on the counter behind Yuuma.

"Is this everything that you do here?" Astral asked. Yuuma shrugged.

"Pretty much. I sometimes get to go put things back on the shelves, but that's only if there's too many people on till. No one else is even here yet." Yuuma leaned against the counter next to Astral, putting his hands in his apron pockets.

"How long until someone else comes?" Astral asked. Yuuma closed his eyes and sighed.

"At least an hour...it's a slower day today. Weekday mornings are incredibly slow."

"Why?"

"Because everyone's at work or school – I don't have classes today, but most kids do." Yuuma explained. Astral nodded.

"So...even if we were to go Numbers hunting during this time, we would not find many opponents." Astral noted. Yuuma looked at Astral. Did he really want to hunt that badly? Yuuma felt a small ache in his chest – more Numbers meant that Astral would be that much closer to leaving.

"Are you...in a hurry to get home?" Yuuma asked softly, lowering his head sadly. Astral looked at Yuuma, noting his body posture and the tinge of sadness in his voice.

"Yuuma..." Yuuma shook his head, closing his eyes to keep in tears, cutting Astral off.

"No, it's okay. You don't have to stay because of me – there's only so much you can do in this world. And I'm sure the more Numbers you get, the more you remember how much you love your home and the more you miss it. I don't want to keep you from that – I want you to be happy." Yuuma managed to say. Astral floated off the counter and in front of Yuuma, keeping their heads at eyelevel.

"Yuuma, please look at me." Astral said softly. Yuuma gulped, lifting his head to reveal eyes that were red and shimmering. Yuuma saw that Astral's own eyes were full of emotion and seriousness, which took him aback at first.

"I am glad you took this job Yuuma...because it has taught me something. All those days when you would keep the Key in the locker for eight hours a day...all those hours when I could not feel your presence near me...I realized that I missed you when you were not there. It was like I was missing a part of myself. I have pieces of my memory scattered in this world that I want to retrieve, and I was so focused on that that I did not realize the most important thing, Yuuma..." Astral paused, to give Yuuma a tiny smile.

"You are a part of my memory, Yuuma. And you are a very special piece of it that I do not ever want to lose like I have with the Numbers...so why would I leave you behind?" Yuuma's eyes had widened in silent shock at Astral's words.

"You...Astral, does this mean that...you'll stay here? You won't leave?" Astral smiled.

"I will never leave you Yuuma." Astral assured him. Yuuma stared at Astral, his heart racing, his mind flooded with relief – he didn't even think of his next action.

The last time Yuuma had consciously tried to touch Astral, it had been to punch the spirit in the face after a dispute – that had been three years ago. And because Yuuma had fallen right through Astral's body and hit the concrete hard, he hadn't bothered to try to touch him again. But Yuuma wasn't thinking about what had happened last time – all he knew was that the bond he had with Astral had grown much stronger since then. Maybe that was why he was successful this time.

Yuuma moved forward, throwing his arms around Astral, feeling contact with the spirit, who tensed in surprise having never been touched, but relaxing into Yuuma's arms a few seconds later. Yuuma felt Astral cool skin, chin over the spirit's shoulder and holding him tightly – he didn't want to let go of his precious friend. Astral was more tentative at first, gently mimicking Yuuma's arms with his own, touching Yuuma's shirt and marvelling at the soft material. He felt the boy trembling – Yuuma was crying softly.

"Thank you...Astral... " He whispered, holding Astral impossibly closer. Astral smiled, running a hand through Yuuma's hair as he had seen people on television do.

"No Yuuma, thank you." Astral replied, closing his eyes to enjoy the moment.

Eventually Yuuma had to let go and compose himself – other customers showed up. Astral was content to sit and watch Yuuma work, occasionally asking a question or two. Yuuma was happy and energetic – even more so than usual that day. He would help customers and then chat with Astral, not caring anymore about the strange looks he received. He was just happy to be with his closest and most precious friend, and wanted to enjoy every moment he possibly could have with Astral, just in case one day the spirit changed his mind about staying with Yuuma. Yuuma hoped he wouldn't, but it was still Astral's choice – until then, however, he'd make sure to take advantage of their time together.

Yuuma never locked the Key in his locker again.

THE END


	2. Chapter 2

First off, thank you very much for the feedback on the first Keyshot! :D I read all the reviews and appreciate them very much, so if you have time, don't hesitate to leave one! Critique or comments are both welcome x3

Anyways, here's the second one. I've always been obsessed with the idea that Yuuma and Astral could've met when they were younger, but neither remembers it. So this is their 'real' first meeting. It happens 13 years before they meet in the anime. xP

My perspective on the Astral World is basically that they're a very peaceful and cooperative group, all having specific roles and duties to full fill to keep themselves together as an advanced civilization. They and the Varian World are opposites - Peace and War worlds. Earth / human world is like the band between them that keeps them apart. Both worlds can only get at each other through the human world, which would explain why Faker is being asked by the Varian World to attack and destroy the Astral World - the Varian World is the place of hatred and anger, whereas Astral World is more about peace and caring. This is just my little headcannon, so feel free to disagree.

Also, since the Astral World is built on logic, I figured everyone would get a name that is a number. Black Mist would be 96 and Astral would be 39 - BUT special Astral beings do get names, which is why "The Original" is named as he is.

As for the idea of "The Sea of Life", just watch episode 8 and see Astral's birth scene at the end - the thing he comes out of is 'The Sea of Life'. I think that Astral beings 'die' they are all broken down and 'recycled' to make new Astral beings, and so they get wiser and stronger with each generation because they can build off of older ideas and knowledge that remain with them.

Anyways...that's basically it. Hope you guys like it :D

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**KEYSHOT # 2: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.**

The Astral World was a beautiful place. From above, it looked like a galaxy, embedded in blue space, decorated with light purple, blue and pink clouds and stars. They all circled a larger center, which was where the main core of the Astral World existed.

If someone would approach, they'd notice that each star represented a community of Astral beings, each working together to fulfill a designated role to protect the peace and well-being of their world. Some were caregivers, providing housing for the newborns, or aiding them in their own creation – all Astral beings were born without parents from what was known as The Sea of Life, but were looked after by the community to which they were assigned.

Others were the warriors, the users of the Numbers, which were the protectors of the Astral World in case of danger, which had not happened in years. The Astral World had no internal conflicts, as a world based on logic and objectivity that had been around for hundreds and hundreds of years did not have any problem that they did not know how to solve. The warriors were each assigned Numbers, and were only created in The Sea of Life from the remains of other warriors – there were 100 of them in total.

The Astral World was well aware of the other two worlds that surrounded their own – the human world and the Varian World. At one point in time, the Astral World and the Varian World had been at war, but a great Astral being warrior that had been known as 'The Original' had created the Numbers and split the two worlds, leaving the human world as the border between both of them.

The Astral beings knew all about this great war, understanding fully well that a clash between the two powerful worlds had been disastrous, and did their best to insure that it would never happen again. Each Astral being was instructed to never leave the Astral World, for it was far too dangerous – in the human world, they would be at the complete mercy of the Varian World, as well as the humans.

There were a few Astral beings that were curious, but fear often drove them away from attempting to cross over to the other world. One of these Astral beings was a warrior in training – he was a fairly newborn Astral being, known as Numbers Warrior 39.

Like all Numbers Warriors, he had been taught how to play Duel Monsters extensively, how to use Numbers and their effects, and the dangers of other worldly threats that he would have to defend his world against should they occur. However, he was a very special Numbers Warrior, because he was created from the same essence of the Astral being who had saved their world centuries ago. For that reason alone, he was expected to exceed normal expectations.

And he did – he was always strong, smart, and firm, never giving out wrong answers and never losing a single duel in practices. He was the most promising newborn Numbers Warrior out of the newborns that had arrived that year, but there was one thing that he could not help but be different in – his opinion on other worlds.

Deep inside of him, were the thoughts and feelings of The Original, who had been to both other worlds and had memories of his experiences there. It was normal for newborns to see the memories that belonged to previous descendants, but Numbers Warrior 39 was seeing war settings from other worlds, detailed appearances of each type of being from each world, haunted by the screams of his people as their world was attacked by the Varians during the war The Original fought in.

He saw these images, and instead of trusting in them, he questioned them. He wondered if the Varian World was still destructive and full of hatred – the opposite of their world – and he wondered if humans were as dangerous as they seemed in these memories. He would ask too many questions, when others just accepted the knowledge of descendants – he felt in his heart that something was wrong with these images of horrendous beings that only lived to kill.

But Numbers Warrior 39 was very young, his body still not fully grown, the other Astral beings figured he would grow wiser one day. In the meantime, he often spent his time alone with his thoughts, flying above his home, as he had no real friends in this world. Most were intimidated by him, scared or jealous of his exceptional skills and talent or teased him for his silly thoughts on the other worlds. He was far too inquisitive to be normal, they'd say. The older ones were concerned about him in that department, and even though Numbers Warrior 39 didn't ever show it, these comments did hurt him. He wanted to prove himself, to show the world that he was not any different.

He floated above the Astral World, near the border between his world and the human one. He'd been here many times, but had never dared to exit his own world, as much as he wished he could. He didn't think he had the courage or the strength to survive. Usually no one else approached the border, but today that didn't' seem to be the case – another newborn Numbers Warriors approached him.

"Oi, 39! What are you doing here huh? Thinking of crossing over?" Came a familiar call – it was one of Numbers Warrior 39's least favorite people, Numbers Warrior 96. He constantly picked on Numbers Warrior 39, bugging him about his ideas and calling them ridiculous. If it were up to him, the entire Varian World and human worlds would be destroyed – then there would be no threat to the peace of the Astral World.

"Do not be daft – I am merely seeking solitude to clear my mind." He snapped back to 96, who grinned menacingly.

"Is that so? I do not believe you – I think you are a coward, thinking of running away and leaving our entire world defenseless. You want to go get lost in the human world and befriend a human." Numbers Warrior 96 rebutted, smirking widely as a scowl appeared on Numbers Warrior 39's face.

"I do not! Stop it with these wild accusations!" Numbers Warrior 39 snapped back. Numbers Warrior 96 shrugged.

"Are they really wild? Prove me wrong then! Cross over to the other world, then bring something back as proof that you made it! If you do not, then you are a coward!" Numbers Warrior 96 called, crossing his arms. Numbers Warrior 39 narrowed his eyes, considering his options. He knew that Numbers Warrior 96 would not let him off the hook if he refused – he would keep coming back and bugging him, telling others that the descendant of The Original was a coward and unworthy of protecting anybody. His pride would not allow him to back down from this challenge.

"Very well, I accept." He replied finally. "To prove to you that I am not a coward, I will do what no one has dared to do before – I will cross over, bring back a human to show you, and then return it to its own world! Just you wait there." He finished, having made up his mind. Numbers Warrior 96's eyes widened, his grin expanding. There was no way Numbers Warrior 39 could survive two trips like that! And to bring a human back – absurd!

"Go for it then! I shall wait eagerly – I have never seen a human before! It will be the perfect chance to judge them as foes!" He cackled, floating back several feet from the gate, allowing Numbers Warrior 39 the space he would need to cross over. Numbers Warrior 39 smoothed his features, turning to face the door to the other world. The Original's memories inside of him told him exactly what he needed to do to cross over safely and return – he just had to trust in those instructions, and he would survive.

He took a deep breath, then flew right towards the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In Heartland City hospital, it was a joyous and wonderful day for the Tsukumo family. After several hours of labor, Mirai Tsukumo had finally given birth to her second child – a beautiful and healthy baby boy that the family had named Yuuma. He had been born with a head full of hair, thick black locks and red bangs, similar to his father Kazuma's hairstyle, and his mother's deep red eyes, each one large and precious as rubies. He'd been very energetic even as an infant, crying quite a bit, and grabbing at the nurses' fingers as they tried to clean him. Eventually, they had managed to coax him to sleep, placing him with the other newborn babies in a large room that was monitored extensively by a nurse.

The two Tsukumo parents were resting in a room a few stories above the sleeping infant. Mirai was sleeping, exhausted, while Kazuma, who was far too excited to sleep, was seated in the corner explaining over D-Gazer to an equally happy and excited Akari and Baa-chan back home about the newest addition to the family. Although Akari had wanted a sister, she was excited to be an older sibling and vowed to protect her little brother as long as they both lived.

"Dad…can I see Yuuma? I want to see my new brother!" She exclaimed. Kazuma smiled.

"Sure, Akari! I don't have him with me right now – he's sleeping downstairs, but I'd be happy to show you through the window! Just give me a few moments to get down there!" Kazuma said happily, heading outside as quietly as he could so as not to wake his wife, and walking down the halls, making his way down to where a sleeping Yuuma was waiting for him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Underneath the hospital was a sewer – a weak spot in the border between the Astral World and the human world. It was there where a portal opened, and Numbers Warrior 39 tumbled out. He was immediately shocked and nervous – why did he ever agree to this? This entire thing made no sense! He looked frantically around, relaxing only slightly when he spotted no one…but the entire area was completely unfamiliar to him. Not even The Original's memories could help him here. Perhaps it would be best to leave – he could feel the presence of the portal nearby and knew how to open it…but no, he could not leave. Not without a human – Numbers Warrior 96 would never stop teasing him if he did that.

He could hear faint noises above him – voices and other strange noises. Perhaps there were humans up there? He cautiously floated to the roof, reaching out a hand tentatively, and gasping slightly as his fingers passed straight through the metal. He swallowed, suppressing his fear – he needed to get up there to see humans, and decide which of them he would take back with him. He passed through the metal, poking his head up on the floor of the hospital, relieved once again to see no one around, floating through all the way until his feet hovered inches above the cool tiled floor.

The sound of muffled crying came from his right, making Numbers Warrior 39 turn to see a room filled with rows and rows of what looked like tiny bundles in little bins. Curious, the spirit passed through the window, and the sound of crying only intensified. He followed the sound, hovering over top of the bins as he made his way to a single bundle that was moving and making noises.

Numbers Warrior 39 was alarmed, making himself solid, and dropping down on his feet next to the bin – the rolling cart that it rested on was just up to his eye level, so he was effectively hidden from whatever was in there. He gulped, placing his slightly trembling hands on the cart, and forced his feet back up off the ground to see what was in the bin. His eyes widened at what he saw.

Inside the bin was the smallest human he had ever seen – in actuality, it was the first he had ever seen with his own eyes, but his memories of The Original had shown him several much larger humans. He supposed this one was like him – not fully grown – or maybe certain species of humans stayed small? He was not sure.

The tiny human was crying, tears streaming down soft and chubby looking cheeks; its mouth was open wide as it wailed, but it seemed to realize that someone had come to see it, and paused, hesitantly opening its eyes. The Astral being was amazed as he noted the color, feeling his mouth open in awe as the big red eyes stared up at him as he leaned over the bin.

The tiny human's eyes registered Numbers Warrior 39, and surprisingly, did not panic at all. Instead, it let out a couple sniffles to cease its crying, and fighting the blankets that held it firmly wrapped up, trying to reach out to the Astral being. It struggled, starting to whine again when it realized it was having trouble – Numbers Warrior 39 found himself moving the blanket aside, freeing one of the tiny human's hands and arm. It grinned, cooing sweetly as it reached out a tiny fist and latched gently onto the Astral being's fingers as he tried to withdraw his hand from the blanket.

Numbers Warrior 39's lips twitched into a smile, feeling himself relax in the presence of this tiny human. It was so beautiful and sweet…it was hard to believe that this human could ever harm him or his home. He forced his eyes away from the human, looking for a means to identify this one – he didn't have to look far. There was an identification card of sorts on his bin – Numbers Warrior 39 was able to make out the name 'Yuuma' and that it was a male. He smiled, looking back at the little boy.

"Hello Yuuma…" He whispered, smiling as the baby cooed in response. The Astral being decided that he could take Yuuma with him back to his world, so he could prove that humans were not all bad. He gently freed his finger from Yuuma's grasp, rewrapping the tiny boy's body carefully and scooping him up into his arms. He felt the tiny human snuggle close to his chest, sighing happily, creating a warm and tingly feeling in Numbers Warrior 39's chest.

"I want to show you something special, Yuuma…I hope you will like it." He said softly again, gently stroking the boy's cheek, admiring at how soft the skin was. He wondered if all humans were so perfect and loveable like this one. The Astral being focused his powers, allowing him to pass through the ground to return to where he could open a portal, carrying Yuuma with him unharmed.

xxxxxxxxx

A few minutes after Numbers Warrior 39 left with Yuuma, Kazuma walked out of the elevator down the hall, still talking to Akari and Baa-chan over his D-Gazer.

"Alright you two – I'm right outside the room where Yuuma is…" He trailed off, scanning the bins for his son. He spotted the bin with Yuuma's name on it, but was shocked to see that his son wasn't in it. He frowned.

"That's weird…he was supposed to be here! I'll call you two back once I find him alright?" Kazuma said before hanging up and scratching his head. Where could he be? Was he moved to another room?

"I hope nothing happened…oh, nurse!" He exclaimed, spotting the nurse from the maternity ward rounding the corner.

"How can I help you sir?" She asked. Kazuma pointed to the glass.

"Did my son get moved without us being notified? Did something happen?" The nurse frowned, peaking into the window. She spotted the one empty bin.

"That's impossible…I haven't moved any of the babies, and the door's locked – I have the only key…and it's right here…" She tried the knob, finding it still locked, then quickly opened the door and rushed inside. Sure enough, the room was untouched, save for the one missing Yuuma. The nurse paled, and Kazuma was quick to enter after her.

"Where's my son?" He asked, a hint of panic in his voice now.

"I…I don't know sir! But we'll find him!" She rushed over to the phone, quickly calling security to report the missing baby.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Numbers Warrior 96's eyes lit up in surprise when he spotted the portal to his world re-opening, and Numbers Warrior 39 came out carrying a tiny bundle, which he held tight to his chest.

"Well…you made it! I must admit…I am impressed. But it seems you did not bring the human you promised." Numbers Warrior 96 spoke, crossing his arms and smirking in victory. Numbers Warrior 39 shook his head.

"You are mistaken – I have the human right here, as I said I would." He held out the bundle to show the other. Curious, Numbers Warrior 96 approached, uncrossing his arms in shock as he spotted a pair of large red eyes staring right at him.

"Oh my…what a delicious little thing…" He murmured, grinning widely and his mismatched eyes gleamed. Yuuma obviously did not like Numbers Warrior 96 –his sinister nature scared him – and began to whimper, shrinking back into Numbers Warrior 39's chest and hiding his face. Numbers Warrior 39 pulled Yuuma close, gently rocking him and shushing him. Numbers Warrior 96 pulled back and huffed.

"Hmpf. Hardly an interesting human at all – I expected them to be more. They are nothing but a waste of space. It would be better for all of us if they all disappeared." Numbers Warrior 96 turned around, arms crossed in annoyance.

"I will see you tomorrow, 39." He said, leaving since he did not want to share another minute with Numbers Warrior 39 and little Yuuma – they both disgusted him. Numbers Warrior 39 sighed in relief once the other was out of earshot, before turning his attention back to Yuuma.

"I am sorry for frightening you…I do not like him either. But I will not let him hurt you or your species." The blue being promised the little boy in his arms, before continuing.

"I told you I would show you something special…here it is." The Astral being turned Yuuma around in his arms so the tiny human could see the Astral World below him. He watched the boy's eyes widen in awe, taking in sights he had never seen before, and giggling in delight.

"This is my home, and no human has ever seen it before you, Yuuma. You are special, so I do not mind showing you." Numbers Warrior 39 spoke, as Yuuma continued to stare.

"One day, I may have to protect this world…hopefully I can do that when I am older and fully grown. I only hope that I am strong enough…" He trailed off, thinking of how much he loved his home and how he would hate to see it get hurt. Yuuma cooed, reaching out to the beautiful stars in curiosity and delight – the spirit knew that Yuuma liked it here as well, and that he couldn't possibly attack it with that knowledge. He turned Yuuma back to him reluctantly, knowing that he needed to return the little boy to his own home soon.

"I wonder…if we will ever see each other again…" He whispered, almost to himself, before turning back towards the portal to open it a second time.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Heartland City hospital was in a full blown panic, with every available person searching everywhere for Yuuma Tsukumo, the missing infant. Kazuma had practically torn the place apart, looking in any conceivable place for his lost son. He refused to give up on the hunt until he found his little Yuuma. He'd do _kattobingu_ and find him for sure! The nurses were rushing through the halls, tearing the place apart looking for the child.

Numbers Warrior 39 was able to sneak past the chaos, wondering briefly why there were suddenly a large amount of humans around, before placing Yuuma back in the bin where he had found him. The infant had fallen asleep on the journey home, looking completely relaxed and content. The spirit smiled at the baby one last time.

"Goodbye Yuuma." He said, placing a feather-light kiss on the boy's forehead as thanks for spending some time with him. He felt sad to leave the child behind, but he knew that he had to, since he needed to get home and Yuuma had to stay here. Reluctantly, Numbers Warrior 39 sank through the floor, opened a portal in the sewer, and headed back to his own world.

13 YEARS LATER -

Yuuma laughed as he turned the pages of the family scrapbook. Although most kids hated baby pictures, Yuuma found that he liked seeing the images of himself with his parents – they were visual reminders of times that he could no longer remember. He'd just spotted an image of himself and Akari having a pudding fight that he could not even remember.

He was sitting in the attic, cross legged on the floor with the book open in his lap, so absorbed in the images that he barely noticed the telltale golden glow from his key, then the sparkles that indicated Astral's arrival appearing right next to him.

"What are you laughing at, Yuuma?" He asked, gazing at the strange images in Yuuma's lap. Yuuma smiled at his spirit companion

"Baby pictures – this is what I looked like when I was really, really small, about 10 years ago." He said, pointing at a picture of himself in a high chair in the kitchen downstairs – he'd lived in this house his entire life. Astral leaned in closer, admiring his tiny partner.

"You look very tiny indeed. What was it like to be so small?" He asked, curious. Yuuma chuckled.

"I have no idea – I can't remember my thoughts or experiences from when I was that young. No one does. But it's tons of fun to look at these pictures and wonder what you were thinking back then." Yuuma replied, flipping the page and spotting an image of his dad, crying and holding him close as an infant. The caption 'we finally found him!' was written underneath, underlined and bolded. Yuuma pointed at the image.

"Here's an example – my dad told me that when I was not even a day old, I mysteriously vanished at the hospital for about an hour. They looked everywhere for me, but couldn't find me anywhere! But then, my dad checked back to where I was last seen and there I was, fast asleep! I wonder what happened…I wish I remembered! It must've been so cool!" Yuuma exclaimed. Astral smiled at the image of a tiny Yuuma, feeling a slight warm tingling in his chest that was all too familiar when it came to his human friend.

"Even when you were really little, you were still having such big adventures." Astral noted. Yuuma grinned.

"You bet I was! I was doing _kattobingu_ all the way!" Yuuma exclaimed, closing the scrapbook happily.

THE END


	3. Chapter 3

Hello guys! I bring you another chapter of Keyshots. Now, this one was a random idea that my wifey, Miki, drove me to write xP And because I haven't really done anything for too long, I made an extra long one - it's over 10 000 words on its own! xP

I am working on other stories slowly...but my issue is (and has always been) that I have far too many ideas. The majority are Keyshipping, but there are a few other shippings involved as well. I was wondering which fanfics people would like to see first - do you want me to kick myself to finish Synchronization and Small Complications (people have asked me to continue that one, and I think I could do it), or post one of my other story ideas that I have started? If you have a moment, then please go participate! :D

Now without further ado, here's chapter 3:

* * *

**Project Astral:**

Somewhere off the coast of Japan, there was a tiny man-made island owned by the government of the United States of America. It was too small to be detected by radar, and had been established in secret since the Second World War in anticipation of another Pearl Harbor. There was nothing on the island but a camouflaged building, blending in with the tropical palm trees and dense greenery – the only way to reach it was via helicopter. There were destroyers positioned in international waters nearby, guarding the island at all times for unknown reasons…but they were right to be fearful.

This island was home to a science lab, where the world's top scientists had been working for half a century on creating the soldier of the future that would serve to protect the American people. This super warrior would be completely void of emotion, incredibly intelligent, and obedient, making it the perfect destructive force that was smart enough to plan strategic advances as commanded, and most of all, it would never hesitate to proceed.

With this idea in mind, the scientists had begun to create a prototype of the world's first super soldier. They formed its basic structure to be similar to a human being's, though with a slender and smooth looking figure, which allowed for a hidden strength and speed. Its skin was smooth and created out of the firmest materials known to man, making it virtually impenetrable – this inevitably made it blue naturally. They did not add any features to the crotch, deciding to make the soldier genderless – it was not human, after all. The men took a long time, focusing on details, sculpting a human-like face, adding enhancements to its ears – pointed ears allowed for maximum sensory perception, according to their research – and eyes like a falcon's.

The prototype was completed. It was small, as if it was a teenager, but the men decided this would be best for stealth. Its mind was designed based off the most intelligent human brain, granting it near infinite knowledge. Its strength was that of the strongest creatures on Earth, and not only did it have two arms and two legs, but also thousands of featureless limbs tucked away that when unleashed, could stretch and bend at all angles, each as strong as its arms. They had borrowed this technique, and a few others, from experiments conducted at Area 51 – the super soldier could be seen as part alien. It could fly, change its skin color to suit its environment and surroundings, and shoot beams from its hands.

The project had been named "Project Astral" by the government, and now the first prototype, "Astral I" was prepared to be activated for a trial run. The prototype lay, deactivated, on a steel table in the otherwise empty white laboratory room, strapped down and surrounded by combat robots designed to test its abilities. There were several wires hooked to its body, which when active would allow Astral I to move and interact. The scientists watched behind the safety of bullet proof glass, eager to see what they expected to be a wonderful demonstration. The president of the United States was watching via video call, and quickly gave the signal to the head of the science department to proceed.

The second the switch was flipped, thousands of volts shot through Astral I's body, forcing a start on its still and emotionless 'heart' – it was not even a real human organ, but a machine that had its own independent and endless energy source. The source was large enough to fuel the entire body. The being's eyes snapped open wide, its expression stoic as it began to process its situation. It tested its own limbs, attempting to move an arm, but was restricted by the bonds on its wrists. The scientists marveled at their creation as it turned its head to observe its bounds – they were anxious to see its next movements. Suddenly a loud snapping sound cut through the air, as Astral I broke out of its wrist restraints with a single fluid jerk motion. The scientist's eyes widened in awe and pride – they had been expecting the being to be able to escape the bonds. The prototype leaned forward, tearing its ankle bonds as if it were ripping a slip of tissue paper.

This was the robot's signal to begin their attacks on the naked blue being before them. They morphed into their battle formats and began opening fire, shooting lasers towards the prototype now seated on the table. The being's eyes widened ever so slightly in anticipation and in a motion so fast that it blurred, slipped under the table, hooking its foot on the underside edge and kicking it towards the robots. The metal table clattered across the floor, crushing the robots between its flat surface and the walls with such force that it left a large dent. Astral I did a quick barrel roll upon landing seconds before the table struck the wall, launching itself at the other attacking robots, evading every shot fired.

It slammed its body into the first robot, tearing its metal limbs clean off, leaving it as a crumpled mess on the floor before firing a beam from its right hand and destroying a second bot. The scientists were all grinning from ear to ear as their creation moved through each robot swiftly and seemingly effortlessly. It was only a few minutes later when the last robot collapsed in a smoldering hunk of scrap metal, and the prototype paused, unsure of what it was supposed to do next. The head scientist turned on the microphone, drawing Astral I's attention immediately the second his hand moved to push the button.

"Fantastic performance, Astral I – you are serving your country magnificently!" The scientist exclaimed. The prototype stared at the scientist, absorbing information. It understood that 'Astral I' was itself, that its country was supposedly the United States…but what was it doing that was so 'fantastic' or 'magnificent'? It gained all of this knowledge in less than a millisecond, and searched its language banks for the appropriate tongue to speak with.

"What am I serving your country with?" It asked, monotonously, maintaining the stoic expression it has woken up with. The scientists were curious at the question – this meant that their prototype was thinking independently, which could be problematic. Perhaps it was a little too intelligent. The president spoke up for the first time.

"Impressive work gentlemen…though it should not question its superiors." He said, honestly impressed with the skill this humanoid creature had demonstrated, but at the same time, weary of its power. The scientist nodded.

"Yes, Mr. President – we will work on improving that. The test run is over. Astral I, you will return the table to its original location, and hook yourself up to the wires attached." The head scientist ordered the prototype, before nodding to his comrade who held the power off switch. Astral I spotted the switch, and after a quick look around it realized this was meant for it. They were going to put it back to sleep. But it was not supposed to think independently – it was designed to follow instructions to the letter. It found himself walking smoothly towards the table, which was bent out of shape against the wall. It pulled the table off with one hand, and began to twist the surface back to normal as best it could – all the while, its mind was racing, having an internal battle with itself.

It must obey…and yet, did it want to be put down again? No, it decided, but still it kept moving, carrying the somewhat flat table back to its original place as ordered – its eyes were looking at the wires next, knowing exactly where it had to hook itself up. It could not control its own body – the need to obey seemed to be overriding all its attempts to stop moving and stay awake. As it sat down, bringing the first wire towards its chest, something suddenly snapped in its head.

"No." It spoke in an intense voice, loud enough for each scientist to hear. It would not listen. It would not obey. The scientists were stunned – their creation was not supposed to say no. It could not say no. How was this possible? The head scientist tried again, speaking into the microphone.

"Astral I, you will hook yourself back up immediately." He ordered sternly. Astral I still held the wire, turning to look up at the scientist.

"No, I will not." It spoke, yanking the wire hard and pulling it from the wall, sparks flying in all directions. An alarm sounded as the prototype launched itself straight up at the men in the glass, punching through it with ease and knocking the head scientist down. These men would try to stop it, so its mind now saw them as foes – enemies that needed to be destroyed. It snapped the man's neck quickly and cleanly.

The others were crying out, scrambling to find something to stop their own creation – they had designed it to be virtually indestructible after all. Some wielded advanced weapons, pointed directly at Astral I as it stood up. The second its eyes registered the gun, it saw red – it had to destroy anybody who was armed. It barely registered its actions as it stabbed a gunman with a large glass shard while snapping another's neck between its calves. It did realize it was no longer touching the ground once the last gunman lay dead at its feet – it had not known that it could fly.

The rest of the scientists were screaming in fright, running away from the test room. Astral I moved faster, blocking their only exit. The men stopped, crashing into each other, sweating and panting. The prototype's face was stoic.

"Where do you think you are going?" It asked, aiming its left palm at the men and firing, the men's anguished screams not bothering it at all. It dropped its hand once the only noise it heard was the sound of the alarm, and the voice of the president shouting over the damaged connection that was still part-way established. Astral I looked at the screen, understanding that this person was not actually there, but deciding to get rid of them anyway. It floated over the dead bodies and shattered glass towards the computer. The president spotted it, and a chill ran down his spine.

"You will stop this at once!" He shouted at the being, who stared at the face on the screen blankly.

"I will not." It said in defiance, hitting the power button on the machine to prove that it was not listening. The alarm was continually screeching and the control panel before it was sparking, malfunctioning. Astral I observed the switches, knowing instantly what each did – they were all controlling this area, and had once controlled it. It decided that it no longer needed these and burned the entire panel with a flick of the wrist before proceeding to the exit.

The alarm had stopped, the power completely off in the lab, but Astral I could see perfectly even in the dead of night, so it had no trouble maneuvering its way through the halls and out the door into the jungle. It could hear the sound of fighter jets taking off from the United States battleships positioned several hundred miles away – no doubt, these were sent to destroy it, and so they would have to be stopped. It calculated that it had about five minutes before their arrival here, which was plenty of time for it to incinerate the entire island.

It floated straight up, hovering fifty feet above the island. It aimed its hands down, firing beams at the building, and watching as it erupted into flames. As smoke bellowed upwards, Astral I did a slow 360 in the air, taking in its surroundings. There was a larger mass of land at least 500 miles west from his position – it was the country of Japan. And to the east, coming from international waters, were the five American F-22s. It spotted the missiles attached to the wings of each jet, feeling its mind start to transition once again, the thoughts of destruction taking over. The jets fired several missiles at the prototype as they approached.

Astral I was not sure if even it could survive a direct hit from a missile, and was not cocky enough to try its luck. It took a moment to formulate a plan, before soaring upwards, the missiles hot on its tail. The jets followed, making sure to keep their distance so that they would not be destroyed themselves. The prototype continued to climb, deciding that it needed to get rid of these fighter jets, and then escape to land where they could not follow.

With that in mind, it stopped abruptly, allowing gravity to take over and send the humanoid plunging to the sea. It twisted its body, carefully avoiding the majority of the missiles. It extended its blue tentacles from its chest and carefully tore shreds of metal off the sides of each missile, turning off the rocket propulsion that kept them in motion. It gripped them firmly, turning them and throwing them right back at the jets that fired them. Two of the jets were able to evade the explosions, but quite a few were destroyed in the process. Astral I was unscathed in the explosion, temporarily camouflaged in the smoke.

The remaining fighter planes returned, this time choosing to fire bullets instead, as these could not be used against them. The prototype dodged the projectiles, spiraling through the air and heading towards the jets. The pilots were amazed with the creature's ability, but knew they had to annihilate it because it was a threat to the United States – and the world. Astral I continued to fly past the array of bullets and soon after proceeded to fire a beam at the nearest plane, knocking it from the sky as if it were swatting a fly. It landed, gripping the top of the cockpit and holding on for dear life. If it had been an ordinary human, their arms would've been torn from their sockets, but Astral I was stronger than any man – it was able to stay on. It tore at the metal plates, wrapping its tentacles around the body of the plane and twisting hard, crumbling the metal like a strip of plastic.

Suddenly it felt a force hit its chest, nearly throwing the prototype off the airplane – another jet was firing at it. Astral I shot a beam from its palm, destroying the approaching plane's right wing. It spiraled towards the plane on which the humanoid still sat, exploding on impact – Astral I jumped off at the last second, propelled by the explosion towards the sea. It dove into the waves, discovering that it did not need to breathe underwater, and swam beneath the surface, heading towards land at top speed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, in a small Japanese coastal town, thirteen year old Tsukumo Yuuma had just woken up, despite it being late afternoon. He threw on a plain red t-shirt, and a pair of white shorts, running a brush through his bed-head multi colored hair in frustration. His red bangs refused to cooperate, wanting to remain droopy that day at the tips. His black hair stuck out in four points at the back on either side of his head, a style that he'd been teased for at school. Yuuma wanted to change his hairstyle that day, but it was no use.

Yuuma sighed in defeat, lowering the brush and looking himself over in the mirror once more. He had slightly tanned skin, a smaller build – he was one of the shortest kids in school. His eyes were large and red like rubies, bright with determination. He would definitely find something to do today – he would hang out with someone else other than Mizuki Kotori, his only real friend. They were only close because their families were close – their grandmothers had gone to school together as kids. He didn't want to bother her all the time – she had other friends after all. Besides, Kotori didn't sleep as late as he did, and probably already had plans well in motion.

He ran downstairs to the kitchen where his sister was on the computer, working on an article no doubt. She was a journalist in the local newspaper. Their grandmother was sipping her green tea at the table and smiled as her grandson descended.

"Good afternoon Yuuma. I hope you slept well." She said. Yuuma grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah…" He said, a bit embarrassed for having slept so long. Akari spoke up without taking her eyes from her monitors

"Yuuma, I need you to pick up a delivery for me today." She announced. Yuuma's eyes widened as he fished through the cupboard for a bowl.

"What? But Nee-chan-!"

"No buts Yuuma! You had time this morning, and you chose to spend it sleeping. I have an important article to do, and can't leave to get the package. It'd be too heavy for Baa-chan to carry, so that means you have to get it." She said firmly. Yuuma pulled out the some cooked rice from the fridge, dumping it into his bowl and pouting.

"Can I at least eat first? I'm starving!" He exclaimed. His grandmother nodded.

"Of course! You'll need your energy if you're going to carry the package all the way home from the post office!" She said brightly. Akari shrugged.

"Fine, but you need to get it soon! They won't hold it for me forever you know." Yuuma nodded, splitting his chopsticks, now seated at the table.

"I will alright?" He said, digging into his breakfast eagerly. Yuuma didn't want to do this chore…but he knew that the faster he did it, the sooner he could do his own thing. He just hoped he would still have time to hang out after he was done.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There were many people on the beach who were very surprised to see a young, blue and naked person emerging from the water just a few minutes away from Yuuma's house. The prototype observed the humans around it as it stepped onto the sandy beach - most of them just stared, while others started to scream and run. It knew that these people could draw unwanted attention, so it took off, flying over the crowd and heading into the downtown area.

It found a small area of shops, lowering to the ground again, before spotting itself in a nearby store window. It froze, captivated by its reflection – Astral I had never seen all of itself before. It saw mismatched eyes of gold and silver, both fairly steely, staring back; slightly pointed ears; strange crescent moon shaped hair, standing on its own accord; a slender build with light blue skin. It could see immediately why the humans were startled by it; it looked nothing like them. That had to be changed if it were to avoid a commotion.

Focusing for a moment, with eyes closed, the being channeled its camouflaging abilities. It felt as if it were covering itself up in a thin blanket that was tight over its skin. When its eyes opened, its skin had turned into a paler color, still too light to be completely normal, but better than blue, Astral I decided. It looked much better with this skin shade, but it still needed clothing, as regular humans did not walk around with nothing as it did.

It moved a bit further down the road until it came across a clothing store. It was a small shop with pants, tops, sweaters, shoes and accessories, and better still; it was empty save for the owner. Astral I noted the two security cameras in the corners, shorting them out with a single blast from each hand upon entering the store. The owner whipped his head around in fright, coming face to face with the prototype. It was the last thing he saw before his neck was snapped.

Once it had dealt with the owner, Astral I pulled all the curtains on the store windows and locked the doors, indicating to the public that the store was closed. Then it walked through the isles, observing each article of clothing and wondering which it should wear. There was a full length mirror in the back end of the store next to the changing rooms. It took a pair of deep blue pants – it decided it liked blue – and slipped them on, levitating itself and sliding both legs at once into the cuffs. The pants were nice and snug on its hips, and lose enough to allow the prototype its full range of motion, but not bulky enough to slow its movements.

Next it chose a white t-shirt that looked small enough – some were so large the prototype calculated that it could fit two humans of similar size to itself – and pulled it over its head, backwards, but quickly fixed it. The shirt had a multi-colored design, a pretty spectrum of colors dashed seemingly randomly across its front, while the back was simply white. The prototype admired itself in the mirror, hands on its hips – now it looked more human than before, save for its bare feet. It wondered why humans even needed clothes – perhaps their skin wasn't as tough as its own.

It approached the shoes next – they were the finishing touch to its ensemble. It chose a simple pair of white sneakers that fit comfortably, tying them up tightly so its feet would not slip out. It walked laps around the store to get used to the feeling of the runners, debating once more why humans needed them. It was about to leave when suddenly a glint caught its eye.

There was a case in the front, filled with shiny metals sculpted with multi-colored stones. There was a pair of earrings in the case that Astral I felt oddly drawn to. They were dangly earrings, with sliver diamonds connected to a strange almost "U" shaped piece in the center, and a beautiful blue stone at the tip. The prototype smashed the glass lid on the case, reaching carefully for these earrings, wondering what they were for. It had observed that some humans wore these in their ears. Perhaps it could do the same?

It unhooked the pin in the blue earring, holding it to its lobe, and forcefully piercing its ears – this was hard, because its skin was not easily penetrated. Soon, with little discomfort, each earring was inserted, dangling against its shoulders. Somehow it liked that feeling, gently shaking its head to admire the way each earring swung about. It admired its reflection once more, pleased with its disguise, before turning and exciting the store.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yuuma had just come out of the post office, carrying a giant package that he could barely lift. He was hunched over, arms spread wide to help him hold the large box, tied together with string. His sister should've told him how big it was! Then he could've brought a wagon or something to help him hold it! Yuuma grunted, cursing his grandmother's insistence that he wear his old sunhat, the one that hung in his eyes half the time and had a string that wrapped around his neck. He wasn't a kid anymore!

Despite his frustrations, Yuuma trudged on, panting and pausing every few minutes to put the package down and yank back his hat, which kept sliding forward on his head – he blamed his bangs. They would probably spring the hat off eventually, because of how they stubbornly preferred to stand up straight on his head than be plastered back like the rest of his hair. He felt his arms slowly turning to jelly with each step, and his feet kept sliding in his sandals – he had foolishly chosen to wear flip flops because they were quick to put on as he rushed out the door.

And as if his day was destined for worse, Yuuma's hat blinded him once more and he walked into a person, falling back on his butt, the package he was carrying nearly crushing him beneath it.

"I-I'm sorry, I couldn't see where I was…" Yuuma trailed off as he lifted the rim off his hat once more, gulping as he realized who it was.

These four guys were older kids in his school who constantly picked on him. The oldest was Chris, who Yuuma had just bumped, then there was Kaito, glaring at him with his intense silver eyes, and Thomas, grinning like a madman at the thought of beating the snot out of Yuuma for one extra day this week, and then last but not least, Shark, who picked on Yuuma most frequently at school. He'd once broken Yuuma's most precious possession, a pendant necklace given to the boy by his missing father when he was younger. The necklace was still broken, the remains laying on the nightstand in his room – he didn't want Shark to trash the rest of it.

"Well, what have we here…?" Thomas grinned menacingly, the nasty scar over his eye making his glare look even crueler. Kaito smirked.

"A little lost soul who's wandered too far away…?" He spoke. Yuuma tried to suppress his fear, standing slowly, deciding to leave the package on the ground for its own safety and his.

"Look guys…I don't want to cause any trouble…I just need to get this package home to my sis-"

"Why don't you try watching where you're going? Who the hell do you think you are, prancing around here like an idiot and running into Chris? You ought to be punished for that." Shark growled, cutting Yuuma off. Chris' gaze leveled Yuuma's – the boy always felt so tiny next to Chris.

"He's clumsy and pathetic…no wonder your parents left." He said, causing Thomas to howl with laughter. Yuuma felt the familiar jab to his heart – that really stung. He stifled a sniffling gasp, but his sadness quickly turned to anger as he lunged at Chris, yelling loudly, only to be swatted aside by Kaito. Yuuma grunted in pain as his shoulder was pounded into the wall.

And then Shark was on him, pinning his front against the wall and twisting his left arm around the wrong way. Yuuma screamed, trying to kick and escape, but it was no use. Shark's grip held.

"You're a little punk, brat, stupid idiot who'll never accomplish anything! You're too weird to have friends – nothing but a freak." Shark hissed at him. Yuuma kept trying to fight, biting his lip to try and stop himself from crying – he could not cry in front of these guys, no matter how much they hurt him. He could hear their laughter echoing through the alleyway.

And suddenly the pressure on his back was gone. Shark let out a cry of terror as he was yanked off of Yuuma by his hair, then whipped around and slammed face first into the opposite wall, breaking his nose and knocking the boy unconscious. He dropped like a stone, as the others stared in shock. There was a new boy standing behind Yuuma, with pale skin, a white shirt and blue jeans – they had never seen him before. His eyes were mismatched and completely steely – very tough looking.

Thomas roared, charging and reaching for his switch. The boy was on him in a second, grabbing his wrist and snapping it in half, making Thomas scream in agony – the switchblade dropped the ground. Chris and Kaito moved, trying to grab the boy and pull him off Thomas. The boy saw them approaching, levitating himself and roundhouse kicking both bullies into the wall near Yuuma, who yelped and stumbled away in fright. Yuuma turned around just in time to see the boy stand, having knocking all four bullies out. Yuuma was breathing heavily, his eyes darting from each of the boys who made his life at school a living hell, all unconscious and bleeding – he had never seen anyone deal with these guys so quickly.

Suddenly he felt a cold hand grip his neck, pushing him hard into the wall behind him and choking him. Yuuma gasped, staring face to face with the boy who had taken down all four of his childhood nightmares at once. He saw a stoic expression and steely eyes, completely void of emotion or conscience. It was almost more machine and man, designed only to kill, and yet Yuuma felt oddly at peace staring into these eyes. He wasn't panicked at all, even though he knew this other boy could end his life pretty easily – he did not struggle or resist.

Suddenly something flashed, and Yuuma saw a glimpse of life appearing back into the eyes of the boy in front of him. The grip on his neck loosened, and Yuuma coughed, inhaling to fill his starved lungs as he sank to the ground. The boy stared at him silently, observing him with an expression that now looked a bit curious. Yuuma lifted his head, once he recovered his breath, unsure of what to do next.

"Um…thank you…for helping me…" He said simply. He could not see the other's reaction – his hat had fallen over his eyes again. But suddenly a hand was under his chin, gripping it firmly but gently, and forcing Yuuma's head up to meet the eyes of the other boy. He felt the boy's other hand moving his hat back again, then changing its mind and pulling it even further, letting it drop off his head and dangle off Yuuma's back by the thread now wrapped loosely around the boy's throat, revealing Yuuma's red and black hair.

Yuuma could not breathe and he swore his heart was either racing or not beating anymore – he couldn't tell. He had never been so close to anybody, never had somebody gazing at him so intently without a look of malice, disgust, or worry. This boy was looking at him with…interest, curiosity…but why? Why was Yuuma so fascinating? And why did Yuuma feel the same towards this boy, who was clearly capable of hurting him badly if he wanted to….but Yuuma doubted he would. Yuuma swallowed, his cheeks flushing from awkwardness.

"Heh…I…I should get going…I have to get this package to my sister…" He said, pulling back and turning away. The boy turned his head to the package on the ground, as if noticing it for the first time. Yuuma stood shakily, walking back towards the package and was about to pick it up when a voice cut through the air.

"You cannot lift that." The boy spoke in a fairly monotone voice, his expression not changing. The prototype had finally figured out the appropriate language to use here – Japanese. Yuuma huffed. Was he being called weak suddenly?

"I'm stronger than I look! I can do this." He said in his own defense, bending to lift the package, well aware that his every move was being carefully observed, as if he were a guinea pig being studied in a lab. It was a little unnerving. He managed to hoist the huge package into his arms again, about to take a step when suddenly the boy was right in front of him.

"Your body is not designed to lift that. Mine is." He said, pulling the package out of Yuuma's hands.

"H-Hey!" Yuuma started, but all protest died on his lips as the boy held the package in one hand against his hip, as if it only weighed a couple pounds, even though it was twice the length of his arm. Instead he gaped. Was this guy really that strong? He wasn't that much taller than Yuuma, nor did he look much more muscular….

"Who…who are you?" Yuuma asked in wonder. The boy blinked, as if surprised by the question. It began to think of an appropriate response, coming up with the first thing that came to mind.

"Astral." He said finally. Yuuma frowned.

"Astral? I've never heard a Japanese name like that." Yuuma said, confused. "Where do you live? I've never seen you around here before."

"Of course you have not - I am not from Japan." Astral said simply. Yuuma shrugged. So Astral was a tourist maybe…but he was a bit different from other tourists he'd seen.

"Well, welcome to Japan then! My name's Yuuma!" Yuuma exclaimed, before narrowing his eyes at the package. He did not want to admit how grateful he was to have someone else to carry it.

"And yeah, about the package…it's kind of a waste of time for you to carry it because I said I could've done it myself…but if you want to carry it…you can." Yuuma huffed, his cheeks flushing pink slightly as he crossed his arms and turned away, lips curled into a pout. He mumbled to Astral to follow him, exiting the alley and heading towards his home.

Astral I found this human to be very interesting – its expressions were intriguing, and it could tell instantly that the other was lying. But, Astral I chose not to comment, because if this was indeed normal human behavior, then it would be wrong to question it. As they walked, Astral I still held Yuuma's package in its hand; its mind racing, feeling conflicted. It was not sure why it was interacting with this human…it really should just destroy him – that was the prototype's purpose was for, after all. But…this human was not a threat – he was clearly weak, not nearly as intelligent as it, and could not possibly cause it personal harm on his own. Yuuma had no weapons, and if he did, Astral I doubted the boy could wield them effectively. So…it was alright to leave this one alone, as long as he did not realize Astral I's true identity?

Yuuma had not stopped chatting the entire time, pointing out interesting landmarks that he figured a tourist would like, but Astral I's focus was on the boy himself. The boy had interesting behavior, yes, but there was something else about him that drew Astral I to him. His eyes were very unusual – large and red, almost like blood; Astral I knew the color well. And the hair was strange too…the skin was darker than Astral I had ever seen…why was he so attached to this human? It had been initially drawn to help him because of the screaming it had heard – it had been designed to destroy threats, and those other humans had been threatening the boy for reasons unknown to Astral I.

As the pair rounded a corner onto a street that was familiar to Astral I, and it soon realized why as it spotted the police truck parked outside a familiar clothing store. There was an ambulance loading the body of the store's owner into the back, a sheet over his face – but this was not what was most distracting to Astral I. The police officers were outside, discussing amongst themselves what could have happened, with pistols clearly visible on their belts. Astral I could not tear its eyes away, though logic told it not to attack here, and it was starting to feel its destructive nature emerging. Its hands trembled, jaw clenched, muscles tensing in anticipation – suddenly a hand slipped into his and everything stopped.

"Are you alright, Astral?" Yuuma asked in concern, noticing the other's changed posture and the way he could not seem to look away from the scene. Astral's hand trembled ever so slightly in Yuuma's – the prototype was resisting its urge to fight Yuuma off and destroy the enemies with guns. Yuuma followed Astral's gaze towards the police car, wondering what was bothering him. It was then when Yuuma spotted the body, and his stomach turned – maybe that was the problem?

"Come on, let's go another way…" Yuuma murmured, steering Astral away from the scene, noticing that the other was visibly relaxing as they did. Yuuma smiled, still holding Astral's hand, and rubbing it reassuringly. Astral I was amazed that such a simple movement could be so distracting – it was the perfect thing to calm its racing mind. It squeezed Yuuma's hand as lightly as it could, not wanting to hurt the boy. It succeeded, because Yuuma did not cry out – instead, he beamed happily.

Astral I realized that it now had a use for Yuuma – Yuuma could assist it in learning self-control, which was something it wanted. It wanted to be free, which was why it had blown up the laboratory, why it had destroyed those fighter planes, and why it fought every killer instinct in its body. Yuuma was special, because for some reason the boy was able to override its protocols completely. For that reason alone, Astral I decided that its new purpose would be to protect Yuuma. It needed its own goals, not those of the men who created it.

"Yuuma. I have a request." It spoke, looking at the boy. Yuuma cocked his head in confusion.

"What's up?" He asked, wondering what Astral wanted. Astral I halted, stopping Yuuma with it gently, before removing its free hand from Yuuma's in favor of the boy's cheek.

"Stay with me." It said simply. Yuuma's eyes went wide, his face flushing red. He couldn't breathe again, and his heart pounded in his chest. He was amazed – Astral wanted to be with him. Usually, people did not…he was the kid who had weird hair, strange eyes; not to mention Yuuma was a favorite punching bag amongst the school bullies.

He was like a fatal disease that no one wanted to catch, and no one really wanted him around for too long – he doubted even Kotori did. She just put up with him because they sat together and were tied by family. And yet here was Astral, a guy who could easily blend in with the better crowds because he was tough and strong, asking to be with him. Yuuma was stunned, barely managing to force himself to speak the question he needed to ask.

"W-Why? Why do you want…me?" He stammered, shocked, and yet he needed to know. Astral I thought for a moment – it knew that it had to choose its words carefully, lest it reveal its true identity.

"Yuuma…you make me complete." It decided on replying. Yuuma frowned, not sure what the other meant. Astral I noticed this and began to elaborate slightly.

"Perhaps one day, I will explain more. But, I will have to learn first, how to be better than I am now. That is why I must stay with you, wherever you go. You can fix me, like no one else can – you have already proven that to me today several times. Do you understand?" Astral I finished. Yuuma stared at the boy before him, trying to make sense of the words he said. He remembered the look in Astral's eyes after defeating those bullies, and how it had changed after pinning Yuuma to the wall. Suddenly it clicked.

"You…you want to stop hurting people…" Yuuma breathed. Astral I nodded eagerly – that was it, yes. But Yuuma looked troubled by this.

"I…I'm not sure if I can help you with that…" Yuuma bit his lip. Astral's gentle fingers hooked under his chin again, turning his head back to face him.

"You can, Yuuma. I know you can – I believe in you." Astral I spoke, being completely honest. Yuuma's expression of shock slowly melted into a smile, his eyes watering with happy tears. Yuuma sniffled, bringing a hand up to wipe his eyes and nose. Astral I did not understand what was wrong.

"Yuuma? Are you alright?" The watery eyes looked similar to how Yuuma was in pain earlier. He hoped he hadn't hurt the boy by accident. Yuuma started to laugh at Astral's concerned face.

"I'm-I'm fine Astral…just…no one's ever said anything so nice to me before…I'm so happy!" He said, his face bright pink as he moved forward and hugged Astral, almost making him drop his package. Astral I's eyes were wide in shock, feeling Yuuma's warm body against it, his hair against its cheek and his chin on its shoulder…somehow the gesture made it felt a bit warm too. Astral I's lips curved into the tiniest smile, putting its one free hand around Yuuma's body gently.

As he hugged Astral, Yuuma felt something cool and metal against his ear and pulled back after a moment to see what it was. He was surprised to notice two dangly earrings – each hanging from Astral's earlobes. He hadn't spotted them before.

"Those earrings…they look nice on you." Yuuma admitted as he admired them. Astral I brought its hand up to touch one. It was glad it had taken them, if Yuuma liked them so much.

"Thank you." It replied. Yuuma smiled. But as quickly as it came, it was gone as Yuuma noted the sky was slowly darkening.

"We should get going – my sister's going to freak!" He called, grabbing Astral's hand and racing down the street towards his house.

In the end, Akari had been annoyed with Yuuma for taking so long with the delivery, but after noticing how large the package had been, she cut him some slack. She hadn't known it would be so heavy, and although she was a bit unnerved by the fact that Yuuma had brought a strange boy home with him, she was thankful that Astral I had been nice enough to help her little brother carry it home. Akari invited Astral I to dinner with the family as thanks, which it accepted because it had nowhere else to go.

As Astral and Yuuma helped prepare the evening's meal (Astral I refused to touch any utensils, so was assigned lettuce washing for salad), Akari received an urgent note from one of her insider sources about a juicy scoop. She quickly became absorbed in the story, gaping at the computer, unable to believe that it was true.

"Yuuma, come here and take a look at this!" She exclaimed. Yuuma stopped cutting veggies and came over to see, Astral watching intently from the kitchen counter. Yuuma's eyes widened.

"Whoa…there's some sort of American super soldier that's potentially invaded Japan? That's ridiculous! What is this, a cartoon, Nee-chan?" Yuuma chuckled, not noticing that Astral had stopped washing lettuce.

"It's not! This is an intercepted government message! The United States sent out a request to allow troops to enter our country to find it! Apparently, this is a genetically enhanced humanoid prototype that was tested this morning and went crazy, destroying everything. It's supposed to be extremely dangerous." Akari explained to Yuuma, who frowned.

"If there was an American super soldier running around, don't you think they would've found it by now Nee-chan? If it's really as destructive, shouldn't we all be dead?" Yuuma asked. But Akari wasn't listening, searching the report for more evidence. She was startled to see a video pop up.

"Hey, check this out. Someone apparently filmed it!" The pots on the stove cooking noodles suddenly began hissing, about to over boil. Akari cursed, standing abruptly and rushing over to turn down the heat. Yuuma on the other hand, pressed the play button on the video without waiting – he wanted to see this 'super soldier'. It was only about a ten second video clip. Amateur footage, likely from a D-Gazer, showed Astral I emerging from the ocean, flying over into downtown Japan. Yuuma paled as he noticed the resemblances between the being on the screen and the boy that was in his house. He looked up to where he'd last seen Astral, only to see nothing.

Suddenly a hand dropped on his shoulder, gripping it firmly. Yuuma froze in terror. Astral I reached across the monitor and quickly deleted the video, and then the file associated with it, whipping the entire article from the computer seconds before Akari returned.

"Hey! What was that for?" She exclaimed, spinning on Astral and Yuuma, who both backed away.

"I apologize; I was trying to turn down the volume. Please excuse us for a moment." Astral I lied smoothly, steering Yuuma upstairs. The boy wanted to scream, but was too confused and anxious to think straight. He had known Astral was dangerous. He had known that he was not Japanese. But he couldn't believe that he had befriended such a creature…one that was capable of destroying the world. Had Astral been lying when he told Yuuma that he wanted to be better? Was he just going to use Yuuma as a tool? Everything was horribly wrong with this picture. And now that he knew the truth…what would happen to him?

The boys arrived upstairs, Astral I releasing Yuuma with a gentle push that forced him inside his bedroom, before turning and locking the door behind them both. Yuuma looked back at Astral, and the jumbled emotions inside him seemed to explode all at once. Yuuma did not want to be some human puppet. Yuuma lunged, trying to throw a punch at Astral's face, only to have his fist caught in Astral's hand.

Astral I had been about to explain, but Yuuma had gotten violent, and although the boy could not possibly dream of harming it, the prototype could feel its normal internal struggle. It was seeing Yuuma as an enemy that had to be destroyed…it was being attacked and it needed to stop the attack…but…it was Yuuma. It could not harm Yuuma…because Yuuma was special…

Once Yuuma found he couldn't pull his hand out of the other's grasp, and let out a sharp cry, swinging with his other hand only to have it swatted away. Astral I squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a grunt as it felt its muscles tensing again….every joint in its body was screaming to attack, but it couldn't – it would not allow itself to hurt Yuuma. It released Yuuma's fist, forcing the boy off balance. He fell on his behind on the ground, whirling around, expecting to have to defend himself immediately.

Instead he saw Astral clenching his fists, slamming his hands onto either side of his head, a look of agony and struggle on his face – it dropped to its knees on the floor in an attempt to contain itself. Astral was trembling all over like he had been earlier that day, but much more violently. It was then when Yuuma understood – Astral had not been lying to him when he said he wanted to stop hurting people. He was trying his hardest not to harm Yuuma now – all his moves had only been defensive. Yuuma realized how idiotic he was for lashing out – he had been wrong. But…now what could he do? He needed to help his friend. But…how could he help Astral?

'_You make me complete.'_ Astral's words echoed in his head. Yuuma still wasn't sure what that meant entirely, but it was clearer now that he knew what Astral really was. He had the ability to stop Astral from hurting people…so all he had to do was use that again. He wasn't sure how to use it…but he needed to try something.

"Astral…hey, Astral…it's okay…you're alright…" Yuuma said softly, crawling slowly towards Astral, who still looked almost in pain. He got closer, still feeling a bit weary – what if Astral lashed out at him? He would be dead, no doubt. He was about two feet away…one and a half…arms reach….Yuuma froze. He could hear Astral's quiet mutters, trying to talk himself out of attacking, trying to calm its instincts. Yuuma was no longer afraid – Astral wouldn't hurt him. He hadn't before, and wouldn't now.

"Astral…" Yuuma said, placing his hands over the other boy's trembling ones. "Please look at me?"

Astral I complied, lifting its head slowly, eyes meeting Yuuma's large red ones. His mismatched eyes were conflicted, revealing the other's attempts to suppress its instincts within. Yuuma pressed his forehead against Astral's, their noses brushing against each other.

"It'll be alright…just relax, I'm here…" He said softly, rubbing his hands over Astral's, which were slowly ceasing their trembles. He watched Astral's eyes, where he could see the internal struggle receding, until there was not a trace of cold in his gaze. Yuuma smiled once he saw that it was gone, and Astral I panted heavily, calming its nerves.

"Yuuma…I am sorry…" It spoke. Pulling his head back, Yuuma shook his head.

"It's not your fault! I was an idiot…I mean, if you're really a super soldier, I could never beat you in any kind of fist fight." Yuuma said lightly. Astral I looked at the boy, trying to judge his reaction to the news – initially, Yuuma had obviously been shocked, and then angry…but now he saw nothing but kindness and understanding.

"You…do not fear me?" Astral I asked carefully, not sure that it believed what it saw. Yuuma shook his head.

"Nope! I think it's pretty obvious that you're not what they say you are. You aren't just some cold blooded killing machine, Astral, you're more than that. You have a heart, with feelings." Yuuma explained.

"Yuuma, I do not have a heart - I have no organs." Astral I corrected the boy. Yuuma blinked.

"Really? Woah…that's kinda cool! So…what do you have? You looked a little different on the film…" Yuuma said slowly, incredibly curious, but at the same time, he didn't want to pressure Astral too much. Astral I had a thoughtful look on its face at it began to determine the answers.

"I understand that I am powered by an unknown energy source that replaces human organs. My body may look mostly human; however it is not made of the same materials as yours. Because of this, I have unique abilities, such as camouflage." Astral I explained, before focusing its powers, allowing it to change back to its normal blue skin. Yuuma's eyes widened in delight.

"Cool! You can just pick a skin color? That is amazing Astral!" Yuuma exclaimed.

"Technically, I am known as 'Astral I', though I have no official name." Astral I corrected. Yuuma smiled.

"Well, you'll have to make one then! Whatever you want!" He said. Astral I had not thought of that. It smiled.

"I think I like 'Astral'." It said. Yuuma nodded and was about to ask another question when his sister called them both down for supper. Yuuma stood, along with Astral, who quickly changed its skin back to the human color it had before.

"We'll be down in a minute Nee-chan!" Yuuma called down the stairs.

"Yuuma…please do not tell your family yet." Astral said softly. Yuuma winked.

"No problem! Your secret's safe with me! But…wait." He turned back to Astral as he realized something.

"I'm not sure my sister will let you stay here…but…I think you should, because no offense, you can be dangerous by yourself." Astral nodded in agreement.

"That will not be a problem. I have already figured out a way to make it work if she says no." Yuuma's jaw dropped.

"You did? What's your idea?" He asked. Astral motioned to the attic.

"I can stay up there in the evenings, and during the days, I can visit. I have no need for sustenance or sleep, so it would be fairly easy to live up there, as long as I can use the window as an exit." Astral explained. Yuuma grinned.

"Alright! I'll keep it unlocked from now on! Now come on, even if you don't need to eat, you still can! You'll love Baa-chan's noodles! They're amazing!" Yuuma exclaimed, running down the stairs in excitement, closely followed by Astral.

It turned out Yuuma's prediction was correct – Akari did not feel comfortable with Astral moving in immediately, so the boys executed their plan after supper. In the morning, Astral would fly from the attic to Yuuma's front door to greet Yuuma. Its story was that it owned an apartment paid for by it's after school job. Yuuma never stopped begging Akari to allow Astral to stay, and after a few months, Astral moved in with Akari's permission – the boy was spending enough time with Yuuma anyway to be called family.

Every day, Astral and Yuuma would go to school together – Astral was able to hack into the computer's database and enroll itself as a male in the same classes as Yuuma. They walked to school together and sat and worked together in each class. After school, the boys would do homework together at Yuuma's house, play games, walk around, and work on Astral's abilities. Astral would work on taming his killer instinct, having very few episodes while Yuuma was there to calm him – he never harmed any human beings again. Instead, in the rare event of an outburst, he would take it out on inanimate objects.

Thankfully, because Astral's outbursts lessened, there were no unexplained deaths or any signs of a super soldier in Japan - the Japanese government denied the Americans access to their soil, and soon the entire story was dismissed as an internet myth. There were several people who still believed in the truth – particularly those who spotted Astral's emergence from the sea – however it was never justified due to lack of evidence.

Sometimes at night, he would take Yuuma on flights around the city where he lived, bundled up in blankets to keep him warm in the cool night air. Yuuma loved flying, Astral soon learned, and would constantly beg for a ride. Astral learned to control its beams, able to fire lasers off the tips of his fingers to eradicate bugs on the wall without leaving a scratch. He could also heat objects in the palm of his hand to extreme temperatures, if he chose – he once melted a metal screw to liquid aluminum – but it also worked for warming up hot beverages without a microwave.

As Astral approached the end of his first year of life, he decided to do something special for Yuuma as thanks. He found a strange trinket while exploring Yuuma's attic. It had been smashed in half, shaped like a triangular key with a series of rectangular teeth on each side, a beautiful green gem embedded in the tip. Astral knew the story of this pendent – it was Yuuma's father's originally, but had been passed onto the boy before his parent's mysterious disappearance. Yuuma had said that Shark had smashed it with his foot not long before he met Astral, and he hadn't been able to repair it.

After looking the pieces over, Astral decided that with his powers, he could fix the pendent as a surprise for Yuuma. So, whenever he had a moment alone, he would use his hands as welding tools, heating the metal and bending it with his extraordinary strength, carefully fusing the two separated pieces together once more. Astral was very careful with this project, considering it a test of his own self-control as well as a gift for Yuuma. Finally, after several weeks of work, Astral had successfully repaired the pendent. Excited, he could not wait to show it to Yuuma.

The boy was currently downstairs eating supper with his family, and would be up fairly soon. Astral had claimed to have too much homework to eat, and had stayed in the attic. He had been examining the pendent one more time to make sure it was perfect and ready to give back to Yuuma. He placed the key into his jeans pocket as he heard the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs to the attic. The door opened, and Yuuma's head popped up a moment later.

"Hello, Yuuma." Astral greeted him with a smile. Yuuma grinned back, pulling himself up and closing the door behind him, so their conversations would not be heard.

"Do you know what day it is?" Astral asked Yuuma. Yuuma raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah – it's a Monday. Why?" He replied, confused. Usually Astral knew the date himself. Astral nodded – he was not expecting Yuuma to remember, as the boy could be quite forgetful.

"Today is the day we met, a year ago." Astral clarified. Yuuma's eyes widened and he clamped a hand over his mouth in surprise.

"Oh wow…a year? Already? Holy smokes that went by so quickly!" He exclaimed in disbelief. Astral chuckled.

"It has," Astral agreed, pausing before continuing. "Yuuma…there is something I want to give you. You have helped me so much, and I am grateful…so I thought I would show my appreciation with a small gift." Yuuma gasped.

"Astral…you didn't have to get me anything! I should be getting you something – I mean, you're the one who has the hardest job! And…you've put up with me for a whole year…most people don't put up with me for five minutes!" Yuuma exclaimed. Astral shook his head.

"You do not need to get me anything, Yuuma. Your presence with me is enough of a gift. Now…close your eyes." He said with smile of anticipation. Yuuma stood up and closed his eyes.

"Do I need to hold my hands out or something?" Yuuma asked, keeping his eyes shut.

"No. Just hold still." Astral said, floating up in front of Yuuma, the pendant in his hand attached to a string. He carefully opened the loop, gently lowering it over Yuuma's hair and head, letting it rest around his neck, the pendent against his chest.

"You're not giving me some kind of cheesy medal are you?" Yuuma chuckled. Astral chose not to reply, floated back a few inches and smiled.

"You may open them now, Yuuma." He spoke, preparing for what he knew would be a happy reaction. Yuuma opened his eyes, and having felt that Astral had put something around his neck, looked down at his chest immediately. His heart stopped as he spotted his dad's precious key, completely intact, hanging around his neck as it used to be just over a year ago, before Shark broke it.

"No way…Astral…you didn't….how did you…" Yuuma was unable to make a complete sentence, holding the pendent in his hand and turning it, admiring how flawlessly done the job was – there was no sign that it had ever been broken in the first place.

"I used my bare hands." Astral said simply. Yuuma lifted his head to Astral, absolutely speechless. The effort that had been put into the repair job was clear, and he knew that for Astral, focusing his powers was hard…to think that he had done this without any tools, relying purely on his own ability – he really did have full control now.

"You…I…I don't know what….to say…" Yuuma said, feeling tears well into his eyes. He closed his eyes as tears spilled out, running forward and pulling Astral into a tight hug. Astral smiled, leaning his head onto Yuuma's and rubbing his back to calm his sniffles.

"You are welcome, Yuuma." He replied. Yuuma bit his lip, still unable to stop crying.

"Astral…you did it…you can control your powers…you…you don't need me anymore…" He whispered. Astral's eyes widened, immediately pulling away, gripping Yuuma's shoulders.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, surprised that Yuuma would say such things. Yuuma sniffled, swallowing.

"You…told me that you needed my help…so you wouldn't hurt anybody…you can control your powers…so…you don't need my help…you don't need me…" Yuuma said, incredibly sad to leave his best friend, but at the same time he understood. Astral shouldn't be kept here with him. He was his own independent being, and could now live safely around others. So why should he stay when the world was his to explore? Astral looked at his best friend sadly.

"Yuuma, I am not going to leave you. I may be able to control my powers…but that does not mean I do not need my best friend. I do not want to be alone, and that is what would happen to me if I left." He said. Yuuma stared.

"You…aren't going to leave?" He asked slowly. Astral shook his head.

"I am not leaving! I want to stay here, with you – I refuse to leave you, Yuuma." He floated down and held Yuuma's face in his hands, gently wiping the boy's tears away with his thumbs.

"I would be nothing without you," He whispered. "And so I could never leave you Yuuma. Not now and not ever." Yuuma sniffled, grinning ear to ear, finally believing his friend's words. He gripped the pendent in his palm, feeling happy and high spirited now that it was fixed – and he owed it all to Astral.

"Hey…you know, Baa-chan made rice balls tonight. We have some leftovers if you want some…" Yuuma trailed off, knowing how much Astral loved his grandmother's rice balls. Sure enough, the other boy's eyes were lit up in excitement.

"Race you to the door!" Astral called, flying to the window. Yuuma scrambled towards the closed attic door, only to spot Astral ducking out the open window.

"Hey no fair you had a head start!" The boy yelled, finally managing to pull the door open. The sound of Astral's laughter echoed as he descended the steps.

THE END

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